Display packages are commonly used in retail sales environments where it is desired to present merchandise for visual inspection by the customer. Blister packages feature a transparent bubble, typically produced through a thermoforming process, which is sealed to a backing card. One conventional method of attachment is to place a heat-activated adhesive on the card and apply heat to the card to adhere the flanges of the thermoformed bubble to the card. Display packages with blisters adhered to paperboard backing cards are effective in showcasing the merchandise. However, certain products, such as fasteners and other small items of hardware, are intended to be used only over a period of time. For such products, it is desirable to provide a package which serves as a storage container after purchase as well as a retail package. Thermoformed plastic packages having integralhinged covers with positive snap locking are known. These packages provide an attractive and functional container, but can require high initial tooling costs and material costs not always justified by the product to be carried in the package. Furthermore, blister card packages are known which utilize cut-outs or tabs on the backing card to engage with elements of the plastic blister in a recloseable manner. These packages are deficient in that they provide an opportunity for articles to protrude, or possibly to escape from the package between the card and the blister.
What is needed is an economical display package which may be displayed for retail sale, and after sale may be repeatedly and effectively closed and opened to serve as a storage container, which utilizes minimal materials.